Google Nexus One Unboxing: Great Packaging and Branding

I have spent a lot of time thinking about packaging - particularly over the holidays as we all purchase and receive gifts. Companies like Amazon focus on speed and reliability while others like Rue La La put a lot of care into visuals, emotion and even virality (future post coming). As pictures and reviews of the forthcoming Google Nexus One make their way online, I was struck by the care and uniqueness of the packaging and branding by Google / Android. It is clever and powerful. It is also a stark contrast to the blunt and robotic messaging of Droid: - Droid is here: compromise officially deactivated. (ad here) - Jump from page to page like a caffeinated cricket in a room full of hungry lizards. (ad here)

Meanwhile, the Nexus One packaging oozes Google's brand and is more fun than rigid / tough (like the Droid). From the 'get started' pamphlet to the start screen to the phone's casing, it is obvious that this is: - a Google phone - an Android device - is equipped with 10,000s of applications - has character and funkiness Engadget has a great review and photo gallery of the Nexus One. Here are a handful that highlight the above points and check out all of the photos on Engadget:

Android Now 27% of Smartphone Requests (Doubled since August); Droid Now 15% of Android Devices

Interesting and impressive data around Android and the Motorola Droid from two sources today: AdMob's November "Mobile Metrics" report and Betanews.

- According to Betanews, 15% of all Android handsets are now Motorola Droids - And, according to AdMob, the Droid represents 25% of all Android mobile requests Most impressively - and most importantly - Android's growth is significant. Android now represents 27% of smartphone requests - up from 20% in October, 17% in September and 13% in August. That means, since August, Android's has more than doubled it's market activity as defined by AdMob's request metrics (which is based on their huge mobile footprint and is directionally accurate).

More Android tidbits from AdMob: - Traffic from Android devices has increased dramatically over the last year, particularly with the new devices launched in the last two months. Android generated 27% of smartphone requests in the US in November 2009, up from 20% in October 2009. - In November 2009, 88% of Android traffic in the AdMob network was generated in the US. The UK was with second largest market with 4% of requests. - As the number of Android devices proliferates around the world, the popular Android handsets may vary from region to region. In the US, the Motorola Droid quickly became the number two Android handset with heavy marketing support from Verizon. In the UK, the HTC Dream, HTC Magic and HTC Hero make up 92% of Android requests.

Android Data from November 2009

Android Data from October 2009 (when I wrote, Android is about to explode)

AT&T or the iPhone: Does it Matter Who's to Blame?

"AT&T and Apple could both gain by swapping talent. Apple, send your marketing wizards to lend your partner a hand. It sorely needs help.

AT&T, send some engineers to redesign the iPhone to make better use of the country’s fastest wireless network."

That's from "AT&T Takes the Blame, Even for the iPhone's Fault" in today's New York Times. It's a very relevant article considering:

- the current marketing blitz / war between Verizon and AT&T - the announcement of the forthcoming Google Phone - the recent AT&T outage (and worsening coverage) All of this also comes at a time when consumers (like me) are getting fed up with dropped calls, slow connectivity, and so forth. No matter how much I love my iPhone (and I do!), it has to function reliably as a phone and web-connected device.

Regardless of who is to blame - based on the New York Times article - both AT&T and Apple stand to lose if these issues continue. Hoards of unhappy iPhone fanboys are a great device away from switching... for many, the Droid represents that. Or the Google Phone... or any of the other forthcoming Android, Blackberry or other devices.

Verizon & AT&T: Second & Third Largest Advertisers

If you're reading this blog:you likely either own an iPhone or an Android device ... and you've likely read my coverage of the marketing blitzes around Droid and around Apple's iPhone ... and you've probably seen the recent commercials from Verizon and AT&T around 3G maps:

But did you know that Verizon and AT&T are the second and third largest national advertisers respectively? Together, they spend nearly $7 billion each year - more than 3x the spend of Coke and Pepsi... combined.

And as Verizon attacks AT&T Apple with their new Droid lineup, you can bet that advertising will play an integral role both online and offline. And as you saw with their recent Luke Wilson campaign, AT&T is capable and willing to respond both aggressively and quickly:

The combatants this time around—in case you hadn't noticed—are Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the respective No. 1 and No. 2 U.S. wireless carriers. That's the nation's second-largest advertiser (Verizon's marketing war chest is $3.7 billion), up against the third largest (AT&T spent $3.1 billion last year according to the Ad Age Datacenter). Those budgets dwarf Coca-Cola's $752 million or even PepsiCo's $1.3 billion.

From AdAge's 'Verizon Vs. AT&T: Blistering Battle Raging Over Map'

Also worth noting, the advertising figures from AdAge do not take into account the tangential spend from related brands, developers and/or manufacturers. For instance, Apple advertisers heavily for the iPhone (on television, in the New York Times, etc) and brands with successful applications frequently use their TV spots to, in part, promote their mobile presence.

2010: The Year of Android?

Just a couple weeks ago, I wrote that an article named "Android is About to Explode" - citing recent growth rates (up 17% from 13% in a single month, according to AdMob) and the forthcoming line of Droid devices.

This continues to be a hot topic and I participate in related conversations almost daily: - Will Android match iPhone's marketshare by end of 2010? - If you were starting today, would you begin developing on Android or iPhone first? - Is there a greater advantage to being one of the first developers on Android or being within Apple's massive distribution store?

Today, TechCrunch has run a similar article written by Kevin Nakao, the VP of Mobile for Whitepages: "2010: The Year Android Will Shake Its Money Maker".

It lists a variety of reasons that Android can (and will) succeed this year... Most importantly is that Android itself is a carrier and hardware agnostic platform - whereas the iPhone, as great as it is, is a single device on a single network. Big difference. And one that enables Android to compete - and even win - without having the best device.

T-Mobile Got It Started Right, Verizon Will Unleash the Beast

T-Mobile launched the first Android phone in the U.S., and embraced the open platform. Any other U.S. carrier might have been tempted to meddle, but T-Mobile proved that an open platform would not be riddled with malware and abuse. With Verizon now going big on Android, we will start to see significant uptake. Verizon has 89 million customers with an average Data Revenue Per User of $15.69 to T-Mobile’s 33.5 million customers and $10 in Data Revenue Per User. Sprint has the highest data revenue per user of $19 and 48.3 million customers. In short, Verizon and Sprint will attract many more customers willing to spend more money on Android applications.

... After a week in New York City, I can say that, were I NY resident, I would turn my iPhone in for a Droid device on Verizon instantly. I would easily sacrifice some hardware and software quality for network quality (which was unbearable). That said, things work perfectly fine in San Francisco!

Welcome Droid (and the Ensuing Marketing Blitz)

Droid officially launched today and, as I wrote last night, I expect Droid (and the forthcoming hardware line) to significantly increase Android's market share - and subsequently the developer attention it warrants and receives. Meanwhile, I also expect the Droid marketing blitz to to ramp aggressively. Below are a few screenshots of large, flash-based ad units across VentureBeat, Alley Insider and Verizon.com (a text ad even exists on Google's homepage).

The messaging across the campaign and its various states are: - Droid is Dropping - Droid has Arrived - And my favorite, Compromise Officially Deactivated

Android is About to Explode: 17% of Smartphone Traffic, Droid Launching

On the eve of Droid's much anticipated launch on the Verizon network, Android is poised to take off and grab challenge the Apple's recent dominance. Even with Droid's launch, Android saw significant market growth in September - representing 17% of smartphone activity vs. 13% in August. According to AdMob's September 2009 Mobile Report:

Devices running on Android accounted for 17% of smartphone traffic in the US in September 2009, up from 13% in August 2009. The HTC Dream (G1) was the number three device and the HTC Magic was the number 10 device in September 2009 in the US. As with the iPhone OS, much of the Android traffic in AdMob’s network came from applications.

The iPhone still represents 48% of smartphone activity, but Android has moved ahead of RIM (14%). And the future for Android is bright considering:

- Droid's rave reviews - Droid's multi-handset product line and low prices - Android's carrier agnostic approach (while Apple is currently tied exclusively to AT&T)

Also noteworthy, the iPhone now represents a staggering 60+% of AT&T's smartphone activity. If Droid, for instance, reached even a fraction of that dominance on Verizon (which is dominated by RIM AT ~35%), Android will realize serious growth.